Seeming TO
Uranus, the planet of liberty, unpredictability, and rebellion, turns retrograde this week (Aug. 28, 2023, 7:39 pm PDT, 23º05’ Taurus). A transiting planet that’s retrograde sometimes appears to behave contrary to its usual mode – in the case of Uranus, seeming to toe the line and go along with the crowd.
But the key phrase here is “seeming to.” Retrograde motion is an illusion, and so is this reversal of character.
By the time Uranus turns direct again on Jan. 26, 2024, it will retrograde all the way back to 19º05’ Taurus, territory it last visited in May. A feeling of liberation that emerged at that time will be questioned in the coming months. What are you willing to give up, or put up with, to maintain your sense of freedom? You’ll be much clearer about that by the time Uranus turns direct in the new year.
Dancing Lesson
There are at least two different approaches to dancing. One is to learn and master prescribed steps, and the other is to let your mind go and your body follow.
Between Virgo and Pisces, I think we can safely hazard a guess as to which sign prefers which method.
The Sabian symbol for the Sun at this week’s Full Moon in Pisces (Aug. 30, 2023, 6:36 pm PDT, 7º25’ Pisces) is 8 Virgo, First dancing instruction. Picture those little foot decals on the floor of a dance studio, showing a novice the steps; an instructor is carefully guiding a new student along that trajectory. This is an intellectual approach to dancing – not a wrong one, exactly, but formal, studied, and careful. It assumes a right approach and a wrong one. Later, once we’ve mastered the moves, our bodies will join in as we glide ecstatically with our partner. But for now…
“Ouch!” the student’s first partner cries out, as he misplaces a couple of steps on her toes. The Pisces Full Moon is on the Sabian symbol 8 Pisces, Girl blowing a bugle. If we don’t sound the alarm when something is going wrong, we have only ourselves to blame for our sore toes!
But luckily, Pisces has a big heart and a good sense of humor. This Full Moon will let us know if we’ve made some mistakes, but generally does it in a warm and gentle fashion.
The Pisces Full Moon sits close to Saturn, on the Sabian symbol 4 Pisces: Heavy traffic on a narrow isthmus. Pisces is more of a free-form dancer by heart, but Saturn brought her to this dancing school to add some form and discipline to her usual, instinctual technique. Watch her closely, though, and you’ll see her improvise a few furtive steps for her own amusement, when the teacher turns his back. Whether in heavy traffic or on a crowded dance floor, Pisces knows that the best way to navigate the crowds is to move fluidly and gracefully, laughing when someone steps on our toes.
Mermaids and Fishermen
Venus has been retrograde since July 22, when it stationed at 28º36’ Leo on the Sabian symbol, 29 Leo A mermaid. This week, she turns around and moves direct (Sep. 3, 2023 at 6:20 pm PDT, 12º12’ Leo) on the Sabian symbol 13 Leo, An old sea captain rocking.
Mermaids and fisherman are often thrown together in folktales. Sometimes, mermaids are sirens who lure fishermen to their death, sometimes they grant granting wishes, and occasionally they’re even brides. But they always belong half to the sea and half to the land, reminiscent of Venus’s time spent half in the underworld and half above ground.
At the beginning of Venus’ latest retrograde period, the mermaid descended into the ocean. Now, forty days later, as the old sea captain sits rocking on his porch, I imagine him awaiting a glimpse of the siren reemerging.
What does she mean to him? What’s he been thinking about, while she’s been away? What has Venus’ retrograde period meant for each of us – have we grown closer to her pleasures and treasures, or have we felt deprived of them?
Are we pleased to see her return, or a little sad to surrender the quiet days of her retrograde?
Venus turns direct square Jupiter at 15º34′ Taurus, which is also stationing and turns retrograde just 13 hours later. The two have been entangled in a series of square aspects – on June 11, on Aug. 22 while Venus was retrograde, and coming up again on Sep. 16. They’re the two “benefics”, or most fortunate planets, but even they spat from time to time; and in these squares, we see a conflict between our appreciation of what we have and the very human desire for more.
The old sea captain is enjoying the ease and contentment of his twilight years, but part of him yearns for his years at sea. During this Venus retrograde period, we may have experienced a similar dissatisfaction. As it comes to an end, ask yourself: Are you happier about what you have, or more restless for what you don’t have?
Writing and images © 2017-23 by April Elliott Kent
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